


Brandon's Rough Nights (For now)

by Sawyers_Shenanigans



Category: The Fosters (TV 2013)
Genre: Bedwetting, Big life changes, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Rough few months, Secrets, Stress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-24 05:43:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6143364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sawyers_Shenanigans/pseuds/Sawyers_Shenanigans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I don't really know how to describe it but basically Brandon has been having a really rough time these last few months, a lot of big things have happened and the stress has seemed to manifest itself in bedwetting. Oh, I guess just like that I could say it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Whoa. You look super not cute today." The noisy breakfast table quieted Marianas outburst. The two other children as well as their mother stopped what they were doing and looked at the doorway. Brandon looked particularly pale and ill, all color drained from his face, less the dark circles under his eyes.   
"Oh Brandon!" Lena cooed as she walked over to her oldest son. He tried to squirm away as she put her hand on his cheeks and then his forehead. "Honey you're burning up."  
"Alright lovelies let’s get a move on!" Stef called as she came downstairs. "Ah Mariana. You're already here! Wonderful." She smiled as she walked into the kitchen. "Jesus, Callie" she called, "Get your butts down here or we are going to be late!"   
"Brandon go get a thermometer," Lena instructed and pushed him back towards the stairs. He rolled his eyes and headed upstairs.   
"I'm staying at Michael's tonight." Jude piped in after Stef greeted them.   
"I know," Stef smiled at her youngest son's enthusiasm. "Do you have his gift, and your night backpack?" She questioned as she poured herself a travel mug of coffee.  
"Yep!" He smiled enthusiastic. "I'll be in the car!"   
“Alright that looks like our queue to leave, everybody in the car.” Lena instructed, heading to the stairs “Brandon!” She called up the stairs, “Thermometer please!” Brandon thumped down the stairs, thermometer bouncing in his mouth.   
“Brandon,” Lena scolded, “That's dangerous. You could have choked yourself.”  
“Use your head bubu.” Stef added, “Don't make Mama worry more than she does.” Stef leaned in and kissed her wife's cheek. Lena rolled her eyes in mock annoyance and gently tugged the thermometer out of Brandon's mouth.   
“Oh baby, baby,” Lena sang reading the thermometer, “102.7 and you will be staying home today.”   
“Aw lucky,” Jesus groaned, “How about I stay home sick and you go take my chem quiz.” He joked from across the room. Brandon thought briefly about flipping him off, but honestly, lifting his arm seemed like too much work right now. Instead he just grunted and turned back around, trudging back up the stairs, into his room where he proceeded to change back into his pj’s before climbing into bed and passing out, hard. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey," Callie whispered peeking her head into Brandon's room. He was curled up, out cold on his floor nothing but socks and underwear. She almost laughed, but didn't want to wake him. He's not been sick since she moved in and wondered if he was always this weird when he was sick. She shook her head and hopped down stairs to get a snack. Lena was in the kitchen when she arrived.   
"Hey honey" she greeted.  
"Hey” Callie smiled and grabbed some leftovers, taking a bite of the pasta before realizing she wanted it warm and sticking it in the microwave.  
"Did you see Brandon since you got home?" Lena questioned, finishing the paperwork she was reading. Callie chuckled.  
“I did.” She laughed.   
“What’s so funny?” She questioned smiling.  
“Does Brandon always sleep on the floor when he’s sick?” Callie questioned taking a bite of the pasta and sitting at the counter.   
“No I don’t- Oh no.” Lena sighed and put down the paperwork. “I’m going to go check on him.” She hurried up the stairs and into Brandon’s room, leaving Callie confused in the kitchen. Lena opened Brandon’s door and walked in quietly. She closed the door behind her and walked over to where Brandon was curled up on the floor, squatting down next to him and pushed his hair back from his forehead.  
“Hey B?” Lena whispered. “Brandon? Brandon sweetheart wake up.” Brandon woke slowly, he reached up and rubbed his eyes.   
“Mhm?” He questioned, confused.   
“Brandon sweetheart why don’t you go back into bed?” She said sweetly. Brandon sat up slowly and awkwardly, everything ached and he couldn’t really remember why he was on the floor.   
“I don’t know-I don’t think.” Brandon mumbled, confused. Lena’s face softened and she reached to lay the back on her hand on Brandon’s forehead.   
“Oh B, you’re still burning up. Let’s get you back to bed and I’ll get you some cold towels and a glass of water.” Lena helped Brandon to his feet and sat him on the beanbag next to his bed, she pulled back the comforter and sheet. There was a large wet spot covering the center of his bed, the rest damp from sweat. She sighed and began pulling the sheets off. “I’m gonna clean this up and then we’ll get you tucked back in.” she said softly. She turned around with the blankets folded in on themselves, to find tears pouring down his face. “Oh sweetheart what’s wrong?” She laid down the blankets and kneeled down in front of him.  
“‘M sorry.” Brandon whimpered, his fever making him tired and weepy.   
“It’s okay sweetheart. I’ll clean it up and then we’ll get you back to bed. It’s okay.” Lena said running her hands through his hair. “You stay here and I’ll be right back.” Lena quickly took the sheets to the laundry room off her and Stef's bedroom and grabbed clean sheets from the linen cupboard. She returned to Brandon's room, laid a towel down over the wettest spot and then made the bed over it.   
“Come back to bed and go back to sleep.” Lena instructed, helping Brandon under the covers and tucking him in.  
“Mama?” He questioned, still whimpery and even more groggy, as she turned to leave.  
“What's up honey?” She smiled back at him.  
“Don’t tell mommy?” He questioned sleepily, his eyes were closed and he was burying his head into the pillow. Lena sighed, she didn’t want to lie to her wife. At the same time though, Brandon hadn’t called Stef mommy in ages, settinging for the more grown up mom and his childishness tugged on her heart. Also, it was just the illness that made him wet the bed again, when he was healthy again it would stop. Right?  
“Okay Brandon,” She sighed.   
“Love you g’night.” Brandon whispered, pulling the blanket up over part of his face.  
“Love you too B.” Lena smiled, blowing her oldest a kiss as she left him to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

“Brandon?” Lena questioned, confused as to why her son was home in the middle of the day. Brandon jumped at voice in the house he believed to be empty.   
“Oh, hey Mama.” Brandon greeted awkwardly.   
“What are you doing home? You should be in class.” Brandon's mouth opened, closed, he bit his lip and scratched his neck. He couldn’t come up with an excuse, he was standing in the laundry room at one o’clock on a thursday afternoon, a washer full of pissy sheets.“Brandon, honey, what are you doing?” Lena questioned, stepping into the laundry room.   
“I, um, I’m just,” Brandon stuttered, grasping for an excuse, any reason that could in any world make this make sense.   
“B?” Lena questioned, probing. Brandon sighed and his whole body seemed to fall, his shoulders dropped, his arms and legs and eyelids felt heavy. All of sudden he felt exhausted, three nights of crap catching up to him.   
“I had to wash my sheets and I had to do it alone.” He explained.  
“B, honey, did you, did you um,” She paused, looking him in the eye, concern all over her face. “Brandon honey did you wet your bed again?” It was that ‘again’ that struck him. This had happened again, he’d wet his bed again. He’d wet his bed before. He’d wet multiple times. He was sixteen and he’d wet his bed multiple times. It was the ‘again’ that made his eyes water, the ‘again’ that make his lip tremble and his hands shake. The ‘again’ brought up the lump from his stomach to his chest through his throat, the lump that now had lodged itself and was desperately trying break out through his throat. “Oh honey.” Lena sighed at her son's depletion and stepped forward quickly, attempting to pull him into a hug. Brandon stepped back, away from her, the tears falling. He hit wall and slid down it, he hands flying to his face, rubbing it hard and angry, Lena crouched in front of him and pulled his hands from his face.   
“B-baby. I’m such a b-baby.” Brandon stuttered, he was sobbing at this point. Once the lump rose and the tears started to flow there was no stopping it. There was too much pent up in this cry, too much had waited too long to come out. Lena climbed into the space next to him and pulled his head to her shoulder holding him.   
“It’s okay sweet boy, its okay. It’s gonna be okay.” Lena whispered, kissing his head, rubbing her hand up and down his arm. Up and down, kiss and whisper. Over and over, he just cried and cried. So many tears for so many reasons all jumbled together in one big mess of sad and hurt and aloneness.   
By the time the washer beeped the tears had mostly stopped, the choking sobs reduced to coughing whimpers and breaths desperately trying to be caught.  
“I-I have to switch the laundry over and get back to school.” Brandon stuttered, catching his breath.   
“It can wait.” Lena whispered, holding him still.   
“I left without telling anyone. I cut class.” He explained, rubbing the back of his hand against his nose.   
“I’ll call you in. Stay here. It’s ok.”   
“I’m so sorry.” Brandon whispered.   
“Oh Brandon, it's so not your fault. You've made a lot of bad decisions but this is not your fault.”   
“I shouldn’t be doing this, I-I’m too big to be p-pissing my bed every night. I-I thought it was just ‘cause I was sick, you know? B-But it’s not stopping and I keep doing it and I don’t know why it’s happening and I just want to stop.” The words tumbled out of Brandon's mouth before he could organize them, before he could even makes sense to himself of what he was saying they came out.   
“Brandon, my love in the last nine months your mom’s been shot, your dad has battled with his alcoholism, you fell in love, got your heart broken, gained two siblings, were sexually abused, had a falling out with your father, experienced a life altering injury, were going to have a baby sister and lost a baby sister and now your body is just dealing with the repercussions of all of those things you haven't really been able to process.” Lena kissed his head. “Too much has happened these last few months, too much you’ve had to deal with too much. And honey you have done a remarkably good job pushing it down and holding it together but that means you haven’t dealt with any of this and now, you're body’s just telling you that you have to deal, you have to process and find a place in your head for these things.”   
“I-I don’t think I can do that.” He stuttered honestly, pulling himself away from her.   
“It’s gonna be ok. I’m gonna help you, and your mom's going to help you and your dad, we’re all here to help you, and your brothers and sisters, we love you B, we’re here for you.   
“Please don’t tell them, don’t tell my mom and dad. Please Mama, please.” Brandon begged, tears filling his eyes.   
“Oh B, I really keeping something like this from them. Your sick honey, we would tell them if you had a stomach ache or pain and we should tell them about this.” Lena encouraged, “They’re your parents and they love you and they’ll want to help and support you through this and while you work through what happened this year.”   
“I don’t want them to know. I don’t want anyone to know. It’s embarrassing and humiliating and I’m a baby for it so I don’t want them to know.” Brandon's voice was rushed and upset, his breathing was heavy and hard.   
“Oh B, we’re gonna figure it out, we’re gonna figure it out.” Lena sighed pulling him back to her shoulder. “We’ll figure it out baby.” Lena sighed quietly, she kissed his head and held him tight. She needed this closeness, this time, this moment as much he did. Her whole life she had wanted a baby, wanted to be a mom, to be connected in the way that only mothers and children can be and that dream had been taken away from her. But in this moment, in this moment on the floor, between the washer and bookshelf, next to her son Lena felt that connection. She felt that connection between mother and child in a way she hadn’t felt in too long. Though her heart was broken at her sons pain she couldn’t help but smile, just a little just for a moment, because it was moments like this that she felt needed and loved.


End file.
